UMUR
"Selected Works - Promo 95" is the fourth demo by Finnish death metal act Paraxism. The demo was released as a promo tape in 1995 and was predominantly sent to labels to get a recording contract. The same tactic was used on the preceding demo/promo "Promo 93", but a recording contract never materialized. This time Paraxism was more successful though, as they managed to get signed by the Crawfish Recordings label for the release of the 1996 ".xism Excursion" EP on the merits of "Selected Works - Promo 95"...
...and listening to "Selected Works - Promo 95" it´s perfectly understandable why some labels would find Paraxism interesting. Stylistically they´ve finally settled on a melodic death´n´roll tinged death metal style (in contrast to the preceding demo release which featured multible stylistic elements), which isn´t far removed from contemporary Amorphis and especially Sentenced. In addition to drums, guitars, bass, and vocals, Paraxism have also included violin and mini moog (performed by guests), which are extra spices to their music. The way the two instruments are used on closing track "Imitating... ", makes that track an almost progressive rock/metal listening experience.
"Selected Works - Promo 95" is a creative and highly energetic release. Although it´s predominantly mid-paced there is a good energy and organic playing style featured on the demo which make it an entertaining and well performed release throughout. The sound quality is also close to professional studio quality, and upon conclusion this is a high quality demo/promo and a 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.